Only a Visitor - Decay (2023)

If only to visit, Vancouver avant-pop quintet Only a Visitor are back — and not empty-handed: they have a new album on the way and have shared its nimble lead single "Fraud of Finery" in anticipation.

All of Decay's nine tracks are grounded by three-part vocal harmonies, including contributions from Future Star's Celina Kurz.

In a press release, Only a Visitor's classically trained composer Robyn Jacob described "Fraud of Finery" as about being "close but yet so far, reaching over barriers of communication, and showing love and connection through the digital versus the tactile." She continued, "The music takes a simpler turn with a meandering, stripped-down chord progression that cycles through each verse. A slow, romantic waltz that reaches into the chorus with expansive harmonies on the lyrics 'be apart, be a part.'" "Fraud of Finery" stands as a testament to the project's sparse, innovative arrangement style — an exactitude that, along with moody themes, paints the music's idyllic playfulness with an intriguing sense of foreboding.